Annie
by Andie14
Summary: Annie insisted that her child was Gisborne’s son but was this the truth, could she be sure and just why was the child found in the forest? Rated T for innuendo. With thanks to my wonderful Beta x


Chapter One

Annie slipped quietly from the room, still buttoning the bodice of her dress, late for work and not for the first time that week. Annie liked company, especially in an evening when she had little else to occupy her and it was not hard for her to catch the eye of one guard or another. Most recently, the local butcher had courted her and she had her eye on the son of the farmer who supplied the kitchen as well. The farmer's son would inherit his father's business one day and it was a profitable one. She was determined that she would not end her days as a kitchen maid. She was better than that, she had decided. The butcher was older than her and always seemed to smell of meat, but he was her contingency plan. Through all of that, however, she could never have imagined her luck when, early one evening, the sheriff's right-hand man had suggested that she join him. He and the sheriff had been drinking since late afternoon. A celebration of something she believed, and Sir Guy of Gisborne was quite drunk, but she cared little. This could be her ticket out of the mundane and pointless existence she had been prepared to negotiate away to a farmer's son.

She entered the kitchen with a renewed vigour, a spring in her step and a smile on her face that could have lit a room. Ealdgyth did not care for Annie's spring or her smile; the older woman understood well enough what they meant. She _did_ care that there were pots that needed to be cleaned and vegetables that required chopping. She took her duties as cook and head of the kitchen very seriously indeed and had seen off many a young girl who thought little of the job and a great deal about men. Annie dropped into a chair and poured a cup of milk. Ealdgyth stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at the girl but Annie studiously ignored her.

"Those carrots are not going to chop themselves Missy, and the sheriff has guests tonight. There is a good deal of work to do and plenty who will do it if you will not," Ealdgyth warned, pushing the grey strands of hair which had escaped her cap from her face. Annie chuckled slightly and got to her feet, staring at the elderly woman with cold, angry eyes.

"You cannot threaten me," she laughed. "I have the ear of some influential people here. There are those who would not tolerate my dismissal and could make it very uncomfortable for you." This time it was Ealdgyth's turn to laugh.

"If you are speaking of your tryst with Sir Guy then I would not be overly confident. That road has seen some fairly heavy traffic over the years," she replied. Annie glared at her and slowly shook her head.

"I do not believe that. Sir Guy is not the kind of man to..." she stopped herself finishing the sentence as if saying the words would make it real. "He likes me."

"He likes you this week...but he will like some other woman next week and another still the week after that. He is a nobleman. That is what noblemen do. You are deluding yourself child," Ealdgyth said. Annie finally lost what little patience she had and, slamming down her cup, she marched from the room leaving the older, wiser woman shaking her head and pitying the young girl.

***

Sir Guy left his bedchamber and made his way towards the Great Hall. With every step, he wished that his boots would make less noise against the stone floor of the corridor; the jangling sound of his stirrups grated on every nerve in his body.

"Good Morning, Sir Guy," a young girl chirped, startling him. He put his fingers to his temple and slowly turned to her. He appeared to think for a moment before responding.

"Annie," he said, quietly. Annie felt a little put out, assuming as she had that he would be pleased to see her.

"Is there anything that I can get for you?" she asked, leaning against the wall and pushing out her chest, what little there was of it, anyway. Gisborne stared at it for a moment before diverting his gaze.

"No!" he replied and marched on.

"Perhaps there is something I can do for you?" she pressed. Gisborne stopped in his tracks and slowly turned back to her. Believing she had roused his interest again, she approached him, running her fingers down the sleeve of his leather jacket. Jerking his arm away, he glared at her. He leaned down until his mouth was level with her ear. His closeness made her heart beat faster.

"Yeah! Get on with your work," he said through clenched teeth. Annie felt a lump rise in her throat.

"You cannot treat me like this after..." she began but his expression prevented her from continuing. He took her by the arm and led her quickly into a small room, closing the door firmly behind him. He was quite certain he did not want this to be the talk of the castle kitchens.

"After what?" he asked angrily. "You can never be anything to me, Annie. You know that." Annie took a deep breath and met his gaze.

"It would be different if I had position," she said, but it was more of a question than a statement. Gisborne smiled slightly and shook his head.

"No, Annie. It would not," he said, turning and leaving her alone. For a moment she hesitated before deciding that she would return to the kitchen. She would be just in time to meet the farmer's son with the vegetables.

oOXOo

**A/N : With thanks to Whytewytch for Beta-ing for me.**


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